News
Thailand news, politics, business, crime, lifestyle, and tourism—stay updated with breaking news and in-depth analysis from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, and beyond. The Thaiger delivers the latest national news that matters.
-
Sponsored The 5 most common travel emergencies in Thailand and how to be prepared
Thailand is a popular destination known for its dynamic culture, stunning beaches, and bustling cities however, travellers can face unexpected travel emergencies that include medical issues, road accidents, petty theft, and natural disasters. To ensure a safe and enjoyable trip,...
-
Finance: Understanding Counter Trend Rallies
PHUKET: In early March, US and global markets began a short-term counter trend rally that has seen these markets regain about 50 per cent of their prior decline. However, there are reasons you need to remain cautious by staying largely in cash. The stock market began to rally in 2009, hitting an all-time high last summer. Since then, the market…
-
Ministry of Farang Affairs: Overenthusiasm at Songkran
The Ministry of Farang Affairs is a one-stop shop where foreigners in Thailand can learn all they need to know about living here. No, we’re not talking about work permits, visas or taxes. We’re talking about day-to-day life in the Land of Endless Shocks and Riddles, of Blur, Befuddlement and the Bizarre. Stay tuned for weekly insights from Minister Stephff.…
-
Opinion: The conundrum of Phuket International Airport prices
PHUKET: Although it took years to act, the Ministry of Commerce is to be commended for finally ordering an end to blatant overpricing on the most basic of consumer goods at Phuket International Airport: food and bottled water. As so artfully pointed out by the airport’s chief financial officer, high prices for consumer goods at airports is hardly a phenomenon…
-
Temporary road closure on Chao Fa West tomorrow
PHUKET: Chao Fa West Road will be closed from 7am-6pm tomorrow so that construction work can be carried out on the Chalong Underpass, the Department of Highways told the Phuket Gazette today. “The northbound lane of Chao Fa West Road, in front of Home Pro, will be temporarily closed for removing power poles as part of the construction process,” said…
-
Ultraman completes epic swim around Phuket
PHUKET: Swedish Ultraman World Champion Jonas Colting became the first-ever man to swim around Phuket as he stepped onto Mai Khao Beach this morning. “We are proud that someone has made history by becoming the first man to swim around the beautiful island of Phuket. This is a great activity to showcase Phuket as a sports and tourism hub of…
-
Iceland PM steps down after Panama Papers tax scandal
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Iceland PM steps down after Panama Papers tax scandal Phuket Gazette / Reuters PHUKET: Iceland’s Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson became the first major casualty of the Panama Papers revelations, stepping down on Tuesday after leaked files showed his wife owned an offshore firm with big…
-
Mississippi enacts law that allows denying services to gays
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Mississippi enacts law that allows denying services to gays Phuket Gazette / Reuters U.S.: Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant on Tuesday signed a far-reaching law allowing people with religious objections to deny wedding services to same-sex couples and protecting other actions considered discriminatory by gay rights activists.…
-
Similan “spearfishing boat’ banned from national park
PHUKET: The Similan Island’s liveaboard diving boat that a group of Hong Kong spearfishermen used during their recent hunting excursion has been banned from entering the national park for 30 days. Photos of Hong Kong spear fishermen showing off the bounty they hunted in the waters of the Andaman caused an uproar on social media as those online made allegations…
-
Indian Navy training vessels berth in Phuket
PHUKET: Four Indian Navy vessels have berthed at the Deep Sea Port in Phuket as naval and Coast Guard trainees take on 24 weeks of at-sea exercises. A statement from the navy said the deployment of the training squadron to Phuket “provides opportunities for extensive maritime engagement, contributes to the maintenance of good order at sea, and further cements the…
-
Vietnam reports first Zika infections, raises alarm
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Vietnam reports first Zika infections, raises alarm Phuket Gazette / Reuters HANOI: Mosquitoes have infected two women with the Zika virus in Vietnam, health authorities said on Tuesday, in the country’s first cases of a disease linked in Brazil to thousands of suspected cases of microcephaly,…
-
Karon Police too busy to cage slow loris touts
PHUKET: Karon Police admitted today that slow loris touts on the beach are not a high enough priority to merit the resources necessary to put them behind bars. “Tourists’ safety and the safety of their belongings is a bigger concern for us,” said Lt Col Pornnarong Karnonchai of the Karon Police. “We do our best to take care of smaller…
-
Prosecutors open probes as world’s wealthy deny ‘Panama Papers’ links
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Prosecutors open probes as world’s wealthy deny ‘Panama Papers’ links Phuket Gazette / Reuters LONDON/PANAMA CITY: Authorities across the globe have opened investigations into the activities of the world’s rich and powerful after a cache of leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm showed possible wrongdoing…
-
Hong Kong spear fishers put Similan dive boat in hot water
PHUKET: Photos of Hong Kong spear fishermen showing off the bounty they hunted in the waters of the Andaman caused an uproar on social media as those online made allegations that they had been fishing in Similan National Park, Thailand’s top diving destination. Panunee, the boat that the tourists were hunting from, is touted as a 5-star luxury liveaboard. The…
-
Fisheries department launches e-licences to sustain fish stocks
PHUKET: The Phuket Fisheries Department launched an e-licencing system on April 1 aimed at regulating local fishing operations in order to sustain fish stocks by limiting commercial fishing in the province. The department has also warned operators of commercial fishing vessels to renew their licences by the end of the month or face stiff penatlies. “The Fisheries Act 2015 states…
-
Tri-lingual tryst ‘Patong Girl’ premiers this month
PHUKET: A young German lad falls in love with the mysterious, native beauty Fai while on holiday in Thailand with his family. He follows his heart, but things get complicated… That’s the synopsis of Patong Girl, the latest tri-lingual movie co-produced by Thailand-based moviemaker Tom Waller. Set for release in Phuket on April 18 at SF Cinema at Jungceylon, Patong…
-
Clean Phuket toilets to impress Songkran tourists, say officials
PHUKET: Armed with brushes and detergent, Phuket officials put on gloves and face masks to scrub down some of the island’s public toilets in an attempt to impress Songkran tourists this month. Last week, Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul and Public Health Minister Piyasakon Sakolsattayatorn launched the WC OK: Happy Tourist Toilet campaign in Bangkok, which has since trickled…
-
Home robbers murder Phuket woman
PHUKET: Two suspects were arrested last night for murdering a woman during a home burglary in Phuket on Saturday. The body of Ubon Romporee, 49, was found by her 11-year-old son in their home in Pa Khlok Saturday afternoon. “Ms Ubon had been stabbed multiple times and had her throat cut,” confirmed Thalang Police Superintendent Chanuchan Cholsuwat. “We have arrested…
-
Bangkok Ombudsman pushes for Samkong underpass completion
PHUKET: After months of delays, the Samkong underpass is expected to be open later this month and be fully operational by May, it has been confirmed. Inspectors from the Ombudsman Office in Bangkok visited the construction site yesterday and confirmed the underpass should be open to traffic within the next few weeks. Boon Tapanadul from the Bangkok Ombudsman Office was…
-
Spanish tourist arrivals on the up
PHUKET: The number of Spanish tourists visiting Thailand has risen by almost 30 per cent this year while the number of Russian tourists continues to rapidly decline, according to the latest figures released by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Despite a drop in the overall number of European visitors to Thailand by about nine per cent, there was a…
-
Fire threatens forest, leisure facilities in Cherng Talay
PHUKET: Fire fighters were called out this morning to tackle a blaze which broke out in Cherng Talay and threatened to spread to nearby forest and damage a golf course in the area. Witnesses say the fire started at about 11:00am. Cherng Talay fire chief Teerapol Sakpracha told the Phuket Gazette that fire fighters managed to bring the blaze under…
-
Phuket airport retailers forced to drop prices
PHUKET: Phuket International Airport has slashed the cost of drinking water on sale inside its terminals by 75 per cent and has launched lower priced menus to appease hungry travellers on a budget. Under pressure from irate tourists complaining on social media about the high costs of food and drink inside the infamous airport, the Ministry of Commerce ordered the…
-
Police seize 30kg of heroin smuggled on Taiwanese boat
BANGKOK: Police have detained at least three Taiwanese suspects for allegedly smuggling more than 30 kilograms of heroin into Thailand. An informed source said the suspects were nabbed at about 1:45am yesterday at Terminal 1 at Bangkok Port in Klong Toei district. They were aboard the Taiwanese-registered cargo ship Yang Ming, the source said. Police were looking for the captain…
-
Video Report: Animatronics attraction lands in Phuket
PHUKET: Life-like dinosaurs, giant spiders and aliens have landed in Phuket on board the space ship Ghostinium; a new high-tech animatronic attraction which opened at Central Festival East today. The new indoor exhibition featuring a variety of robotic creatures is located on the third floor of the shopping center next to Homeworks. “Ghostinium offers a great, fun way for kids…
-
Four tourists hurt in knife fight with robbers on Patong Beach
PHUKET: Police are hunting for three teenaged males involved in a knife fight with four foreign tourists on Patong Beach early this morning. “Russian nationals Anton Lukin, 30, and Aleksandra Obodova, 21, were both hospitalized with cuts to their hands sustained in the scuffle, which occurred at 4:30am in front of the Graceland Hotel on Taweewong Road. “Two Australians, Daniel…
-
Car bomb attack kills Seven police in Turkey’s Diyarbakir
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community Car bomb attack kills Seven police in Turkey’s Diyarbakir Phuket Gazette / Reuters ANKARA/DIYARBAKIR: Turkey, A car bomb killed seven police officers and wounded around two dozen people in Turkey’s Diyarbakir on Thursday, security sources and officials said, a day before the prime minister is due…
-
India flyover collapse kills 10 with 150 feared trapped
PHUKET MEDIA WATCH – World news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community India flyover collapse kills 10 with 150 feared trapped Phuket Gazette / Reuters KOLKATA: India, An overpass under construction in the bustling Indian city of Kolkata collapsed on Thursday on to vehicles and street vendors below, killing at least 14 people with more than 100 people…
-
Phuket beach makes cut for best in the world
PHUKET: Kata Noi Beach wiggled its way into the TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards for best beaches in the world this year. The west-coast beauty spot ranked third best in Asia while Nai Harn Beach was awarded 6th place. Not too far behind Phuket were Phra Nang Beach and Railey Beach – both in Krabi. Kata Noi was also awarded first…
-
B468k electricity bill shocks shophouse owner
PHUKET: The owner of a small shophouse in Vichit was shocked to get an electricity bill for almost half a million baht this week. Boonlert NokBanjong, 48, who has never paid more than 2,000 baht a month to power his single-storey shophouse, was stunned when his bill for March arrived demanding 468,182.82 baht. “I only use one air conditioner,” complained…
-
Finance: How to meet the right people for success
PHUKET: They say you can determine a man’s income simply by taking the average of the four or five people with whom he spends the most time. I am not sure how scientific the study was that has produced this timeless piece of advice, but the general concept is easy to validate if you look closely at the people you…
-
Phuket to splash out B450k for animatronic Sea Gypsy Museum exhibit plans
PHUKET: Local officials are searching for a private company to draw up the exhibit plans for the soon-to-be animatronic Sea Gypsy Cultural Center, Rassada Municipality Chief Administrative Officer (palad) Dechakanee Leelanont told the Phuket Gazette today. “The Phuket Rajabhat University study group concluded their research into the history of the sea gypsies and the viability of using a 4D-exhibit model…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.